Recently, clinical research using fluorescence products has been conducted, and much research has been deployed to effectively detect and implement a fluorescence signal.
In particular, as research is widely conducted on molecular imaging, advanced research using fluorescence is in progress globally.
Korean Patent Application Nos. 10-2001-7016066, 10-2002-7012264, 10-2006-7021266, and 10-2012-7012905 disclose a variety of information associated with detection of fluorescence signals, and fluorescence products.
Fluorescence is used to configure a system with relatively simple equipment, such as an excitation light source, a band filter, and a light detector thereby allowing wide use and also having very high utility in terms of cost, compared to other detection apparatuses. In particular, when fluorescence in the visible light range of 400 to 700 nm is used, the fluorescence may be observed with the naked eye and have good skin permeability, thereby increasing medical applicability.
However, fluorescence has limitations in that its signal-to-noise ratio is lower than that of luminescence and its sensitivity is reduced due to the influence of barriers such as light scattering, autofluorescence, and the like and several factors such as a light source and a filter.
To overcome these limitations, research has been widely conducted on near infrared fluorescence products in the range of 780 to 2000 nm, which has permeability better than that of the visible light region. In addition, an inspection method that is applicable to a preclinical trial and a clinical trial is being developed because a signal for depth information may be acquired.
For a method used in a preclinical trial, research is being conducted to observe a route to a tumor and a treatment process after developing a probe that is combined with fluorescence material to perform targeting to diseases and then providing an intravenous injection.
On the other hand, evaluation of a soft tissue may be widely used to evaluate clinical characteristics. Representatively, indocyanine green (ICG), which is a near infrared fluorescence approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is used to check circulation in blood as a blood contrast medium and to locate sentinel lymph nodes (SNs) that inform a tumor metastasis degree in a breast cancer patient.
Like this, a variety of research is being conducted, such as clinical research using fluorescence products and research for effectively detecting and implementing a fluorescence signal. As a result of such research, various fluorescence imaging apparatuses are being developed. However, the apparatuses do not obtain, actually, a result that is applicable to a clinical trial.
First, at present, there is not yet developed a technology for effectively visualizing a fluorescence image in addition to implementing the fluorescence image.
In addition, there is not sufficiently developed a technology for implementing a visible light optical image on a fluorescence revelation region in addition to a fluorescence image.
A technology for acquiring and projecting fluorescence and visible light is essential to the medical field and is widely used when sentinel lymph nodes are visualized. Stable implementation of the technology is important in a surgery and clinical environment. Furthermore, use of an analog environment and a digital environment at the same time is not technically difficult. However, practically, since analog devices and digital devices should be separately installed, supplement policies are required in a site where emergencies may occur along the lines of movement of a surgery operator and an operation assistant, disconnection may occur in equipment, a surgery operator and an operation assistant may get a fall. In particular, though a computer is powered off during treatment, it is essentially needed for a minimum defense policy capable of continuous treatment in an analog environment.
Accordingly, a convergence technology is required to develop based on various image processing techniques that have been already developed. In particular, a method that is effectively applicable to a clinical trial should be proposed.